Combination of suspect and nontarget screening with exposure assessment for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance prioritization in Chinese municipal wastewater

作者：Hongxin Mu, Ling Chen, Rong Zhou, Luyao Gu, Yue Yu, Jin Tang, Houhu Zhang, Hongqiang Ren, Bing Wu, Yuanqing Bu · 发表于：Environment International · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.envint.2025.109384 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research、Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact、Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols

• A risk-based method was developed to rank PFAS priority in Chinese wastewater. • The Chinese population PFAS exposure load was 124.7 μg·day −1 ·people −1 . • Combined toxicity and exposure data flagged 15 PFASs as high-risk prioritization. • The PFAS risk priority between influents and effluents was highly consistent. • The PFAS risk in wastewater varied by region and was driven by different factors. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are significant sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aquatic environments, making their identification and priority rank crucial for risk control. Wastewater samples were collected from 148 municipal WWTPs in China to determine the occurrence and risk prioritization of PFASs. A total of 61 PFASs were identified, including 14 legacy and 47 emerging PFASs, using machine learning prediction-enhanced suspect and nontarget screening techniques. PFASs were detected in all wastewater samples, with perfluorocarboxylic acid (PFCA), perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA), fluoromeric sulfonic acid (FTSA), and perfluoroalkyl sulfonamide-like (PFSM) substances being the predominant classes. The exposure loads of legacy and emerging PFASs to the Chinese population were 71.8 and 52.9 μg·day −1 ·people −1 , respectively, and textile and clothing products might be the primary PFAS exposure pathways. Through a risk prioritization method integrating toxicity and exposure data, ten legacy and five emerging PFASs were flagged as high-priori...